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Monday, December 24, 2007

Barack Obama: The More Toys We Import From China The More Danger For Our Kids

Nothing says “Christmas” like a bit of holiday-themed hyperbole from a pandering, protectionist politician.

GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — As holiday shoppers hunted for safe toys Sunday, Democrat Barack Obama touted his plan for tighter regulation of Chinese-made playthings, millions of which have been recalled because of unsafe levels of lead.

Obama said he would test to find toys with lead-based paint and ban those with even trace amounts of the substance.

“Now don’t get me wrong, as president I will work with China to keep harmful toys off our shelves,” Obama said. “But I’ll also immediately take steps to ensure that all toys are independently tested before they reach our shores and I’ll significantly increase penalties on companies that break the rules.”

“The more toys we import from China, the more risk to our children,” said Obama, an Illinois senator. “As president I will act with urgency to protect our children from being harmed by unsafe toys.”

I’ve got two points to make:

First, do you have any idea how much more expensive toys would be if someone like Obama instituted independent testing for every toy coming into this country?  A lot more expensive.  And while the recent news reports about lead-painted toys from China making it into our markets are disturbing, are they really such a crisis (media sensationalism aside) that we need expanded government regulation and inspection?  Which means huge new bureaucracies, more tax dollars spent and more expense for the toy makers.  Which, in the end, means toys that cost a lot more than they did before.

All because a small fraction of the toys that come from China had lead based paint.  Which sort of plays into my second point.

Obama’s soaring hyperbole about imports from China making us less safe has more to do with pandering to Big Labor than it does with a factual analysis of the situation.  Like it or not, each and every day of your life you use dozens, if not hundreds, of products that are manufactured in China and you use them with little or no problems.  Likely because if they were unsafe or unsatisfactory products, you wouldn’t have bought them.  But Obama and the protectionists here in America (labor unions and the like) have latched onto this “lead paint” story not because lead paint is all that much of a problem, but because they want to do as much as possible to impede imports from China and thus your access to cheap, quality goods.

Obama doesn’t care about product safety.  Or, at least, product safety isn’t his first concern here.  Instead, the political sway held by left-wing labor groups is what he’s more concerned about.

Comments

Avatar for Lestat

Screw it, what is a few dead kids compared to a cheap tickle me Elmo.

Lestat on December 24, 2007 at 11:32 pm

but because they want to do as much as possible to impede imports from China and thus your access to cheap, quality goods.

Innocently curious, why would Obama want to do that?

dirl126 on December 24, 2007 at 11:53 pm

Lestat totally missed the point.

likwidshoe on December 25, 2007 at 12:30 am
Avatar for Safetoy

Well politicians use rhetoric to get elected, whether it is for free markets or for protection from the effects of them.  The people who suffer here are the children who are not protected from avoidable problems.  If basic toy standards are not observed something has to be done, and accidents and recalls are expensive and time consuming.  Worried consumers, and why not politicians, can check to see if a toy has been recalled at http://safetoy.mobi... have any dolls of politicians been recalled?

Safetoy on December 25, 2007 at 01:55 am
Avatar for Safetoy

Well politicians use rhetoric to get elected, whether it is for free markets or for protection from the effects of them.  The people who suffer here are the children who are not protected from avoidable problems.  If basic toy standards are not observed something has to be done, and accidents and recalls are expensive and time consuming.  Worried consumers, and why not politicians, can check to see if a toy has been recalled at http://safetoy.mobi

Have any dolls of politicians been recalled?

(Had to repost to add image)

Safetoy on December 25, 2007 at 02:02 am
Avatar for jpe

China doesn’t have the same level of regulation we have, so we should make it up w/ our own testing.  It forces Chinese manufacturers to internalize the costs of their shoddy standards.  Seems pretty common sense to me.

jpe on December 25, 2007 at 04:28 pm

"Safetoy” - ...whether it is for free markets or for protection from the effects of them.

What effects? Freedom? Unparalleled wealth? The thing that raises the baseline of human existence more than anything else ever tried?

Or did you mean lead infused toys?

So vague…

likwidshoe on December 25, 2007 at 04:55 pm
Avatar for Chuznan

Is that saysing American’s child life is more valuble/expensive than china’s ? Your Americans, you can either choose not to use any cheaper, made in China toys, or keep the mouth shut up and help China’s Manufacture to raise the safty standad, which protects all the Children in the world. Of course, the first choice donot make any affacts on China’s growth. However, compares to the low quality toys of China, the “low quality” of Barack Obama is more worrisome to all mankind!!!

Chuznan on January 1, 2008 at 01:14 am

Is that saysing American’s child life is more valuble/expensive than china’s?

No, just that chinese manufacturers apparently could care less about poisoning children.

Your Americans, you can either choose not to use any cheaper, made in China toys, or keep the mouth shut up and help China’s Manufacture to raise the safty standad, which protects all the Children in the world.

Heh, chinese manufacturers are poisoning children, but somehow that is the fault of the U.S.! 

Amazing.

Why on earth is it the responsibility of the federal government to make sure the chinese raise their own safety standards? What, are the chinese too stupid or too lazy to do something other countries do quite easily?

Ken McCracken on January 1, 2008 at 03:47 am
Avatar for Chuznan

As a Chinese saying: before you speak, please use your brain, if you have one,please!

It is so obvious that American take the main responsibility. If you say Chinese manufacturer care less about poisoning Children. I can say Amreican is murdering their own Children, even golbally. Who design these toys? Who provide the materials? Who make the decision about ourtsourcing to China? Who direct and supervise the manufacturing process? Its All YOU American! The devil is to pursue higher and higher profit, like Walt Disney or Barby! Chinese chilren playing with Bamboo and Wood-made toys for thousands of years, happy and safe. Who,one earth, create and produce the poisoned “Mickey Mouse”, and marketing to the world?

Making it worse, What China export to US are the highest level quality products with even lower price than we sell inland China, while provide our own kids with worse toys! Make it even worse, all the pollution was left in China. We are using Chinese parents tears to exchange American children’s smile!

so, if you ask:"are the chinese too stupid or too lazy to do ...” the Answer is YES, we are really “stupid and lazy” enough to never had the idea of using lead to paint the toys! However, your American are much more LAZY, STUPID plus GREED and IRRESPONSIBLE!

But, don’t be upset. Walt Disney and American still contribute a lot to the mankind advancement, as well as China and Chinese people.

Last, learn this, your American said so :"With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility” Ken, I can forgive you this time, but, in the future, do not try to wipe off the responsibility so quickly, that makes you a Coward or Loser(BTW, in Chinese we don’t have the word “loser” , its a good invention, hahaha)

Chuznan on January 4, 2008 at 06:47 am
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